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The Afro-American, March 16, 2013 - March 22, 16, 2013
Jones Falls Continued from A1
Earlier in the day, Hamilton, who had been living under the freeway for six months, and other homeless people showed panic, confusion and more than a little rage when workers from Baltimore’s Department of Public Works went to The Fallsway and Hillen Street and began tossing unattended bags of personal effects into a green dump truck for disposal. One worker from the Department of Public Works said his directions were clear: “I got a call from my boss and he said ‘If they aren’t on it, take it.’” But the city trash collectors and street sweepers were confronted by a phalanx of homeless people and advocates of the disenfranchised, including workers from the non-profit group Health Care for the Homeless, who challenged the mid-afternoon eviction. The scene is becoming common on the urban landscape: homeless men and women are displaced to make way for a project where organizers would rather not have old bedding and boxes lying about--in this case, Baltimore Farmers’ Market. A public works staffer said that afternoon, the trash generated by the homeless is becoming an eye sore. The action came less than a week after residents from Camp 83, another open-air cluster of about 15 homeless people, were evicted from their encampment of tents and makeshift shelters just three blocks away. City workers, some manning Bobcats and other small scale earth-moving machines scoured the minicity, destroying what was left of the resident’s clothes, suitcases and tents that weren’t removed during the eviction. Residents of the encampment, whose ages ranged from 30 to their late 60s, had been living there as long as four years in some cases. Hamilton, along with two other people, is the last of the residents from Camp 83 who were still without shelter. The three were not present when Belvedere Homes, an independently funded non-profit housing facility, collected the other 12 residents March 6 and 7. Christina Flowers, president of Belvedere
Homes, has been running the facility since 2005 and has been actively involved with Baltimore’s efforts to end homelessness with a 10-yearplan, the Journey Home. The plan, which is currently being revised, has four goals to end homelessness: affordable housing, comprehensive healthcare, sufficient incomes and comprehensive preventive and emergency services. More than 3,200 residents sleep on the street each night in Baltimore, 80 percent of them African American, according to the Journey Home, the city’s plan for handling homeless people. Rachel Kutler, 24, an advocate with Housing our Neighbors, which formed in November 2012, said she is skeptical about the latest round of revisions to the plan which relieves the city from a measurable time line to implement each phase of the project. “The downtown Hilton was just funded with $1 million from the city,” Kutler said of city’s efforts to financially aid the failing downtown Hilton. “We’ve got the resources and the vacant houses. Maryland is supposed to be the richest state in the country.” Flowers said she agrees that the city is not properly handling its local homeless population. “[City councilwoman] Mary Pat Clarke said put [the homeless people] in a hotel and the mayor shut them down and said it was a waste of money,” said Flowers. “But we have casinos and race cars. Someone should have asked if we rather get funding for the homeless rather than the Grand Prix.” At a recent meeting for Baltimore Housing for All, a grassroots campaign of people who have experienced homelessness, there was a discussion of the next steps for the former residents of Camp 83. “The media has been painting [the removal] as a success, but people are going to be out on the street again,” said one man. The meeting was held inside of the Health Care for the Homeless building. Flowers said she is spending her own money to house the residents of Camp 83. She said there is no
Photo by J.D. Howard
John Hamilton (left) and others pack up.
Photo by J.D. Howard
Sign posted at the encampment. deadline for their stay. She is actively trying to get them settled. “The shelter ain’t no place to call home... If I have to set
the example for everything that is going on around Baltimore City, I will. We have limited resources, but we’re trying,” she said.
Photo by Avis Thomas-Lester
Homeless advocate Christina Flowers.
Boldin Traded to 49ers
Continued from A1
said - IN OZZIE WE TRUST! No disrespect to you or any disgruntled Ravens fan upset that Boldin is gone, but let’s make this very clear: none of you is smarter than Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome when it comes to managing a football team. If Ozzie made the move, you’d better believe it was for damn good reason. His record speaks for its self; two Super Bowl rings, four AFC Championship appearances, and nine playoff appearances in the past 12 seasons. Trust me when I say, he knows what he’s doing. Boldin was a great contributor to the Ravens, but business is business. The final year of his deal was going to cost too much against the cap so he had to either take the pay cut or be traded. He forced Ozzie’s hand so it is what it is. Riley: Sure, Ozzie is the man. One of the most respected GMs in the league. But that doesn’t explain who’s going to bail Flacco out next season when he needs a big catch. Outside of Boldin, there weren’t any other Pro Bowl-caliber receivers on the roster. Third-year receiver Torrey Smith is an explosive speedster but Boldin was the go-to guy when they needed a possession catch to move the chains. They’re going to need him in 2013 and it wont be easy filling the void he leaves. Plus, Flacco just started to get really comfortable with Boldin after taking two seasons to gain chemistry with him in 2010 and 2011. Even if they sign another premier receiver, it could set Flacco back while he learns to play with the potential new weapon. They should have just paid Boldin and secured their chances of making a repeat run at the Super Bowl title. This only hurt their chances while strengthening the chances of the 49ers.
Green: I didn’t want to have to go here but let’s be honest about everything - Boldin actually lied to Ravens fans. He told reporters fresh after winning the Super Bowl that if he couldn’t play in Baltimore next year, he would retire because, in his own words, “once you’re a Raven, you’re always a Raven.” He stood in front of reporters and told us how at this point in his career it’s not about the money or the individual statistical accomplishments. All he said he wanted to do was win as a Raven. But the moment Ozzie Newsome comes to him about taking a pay cut to help the team clear more money against the salary cap, he switches up and said he’s preparing for free agency. Well, he made his bed now he’ll lie in it. Instead of allowing him to be released to free agency for nothing, Ozzie was savvy enough to get an extra draft pick out the situation. And for everyone who thinks Flacco’s contract was responsible, they’re just mistaken. Flacco’s deal was structured so that it will only cost the Ravens $6.8 million against the 2013 salary cap, while Boldin’s final year on his deal reportedly would have cost a $7.5 million against the cap. The salary of a 32-year-old receiver past his prime shouldn’t claim more money against the cap than that of a 28-year-old Super Bowl MVP quarterback in his prime. Besides, restructuring final years of deals is common in the NFL. New England Patriots star Tom Brady just restructured his deal during the final year of his contract to help his team. Flacco will more than likely be asked to restructure his backloaded deal in the future, too. Either get with the program or watch genius-minded GMs like Ozzie Newsome find a way to move on without you.
Baltimore Cop Pleads Guilty Continued from A1
prosecutors, Richburg, who lives in Baltimore, was involved in a conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana between January 2011 and October 2012. Prosecutors also alleged that Richburg was in illegal possession of two semi-automatic hand guns while engaged in drug trafficking. The charges grew out of an investigation by Baltimore Police internal affairs investigators and the FBI. The grand jury’s findings were characterized as “deeply disturbing and represent an egregious violation of the sacred trust citizens place in police officers,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts said. According to his plea agreement, Richburg sometimes returned to his
co-conspirator some of the drugs seized from the drug purchasers so that the co-conspirator could re-sell the drugs. Prosecutors also said that Richburg falsified the arrest documents to eliminate the co-conspirator’s involvement, often falsely stating that Richburg had witnessed a drug transaction. Richburg and the co-conspirator were also overheard discussing, in an FBI wiretap, the “planting” of evidence, and arranging an armed robbery. The electronic surveillance grew out of an FBI investigation of the sale of stolen iPads and iPhones. Through the monitoring, investigators detailed that on Oct. 9, 2012, Richburg, armed with his service weapon, searched
a person, without probable cause, and located a large amount of cash. The victim told Richburg that he had just received his paycheck. Richburg contacted his co-conspirator and arranged for the co-conspirator, whom Richburg knew was armed, to rob the victim, identifying where the victim was located. Richburg faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison for the drug conspiracy, and a minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, and a maximum of life in prison for use of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Sentencing is scheduled for June 11.